Announcement from Provost Wu: Appointment of Dean, College of Science
Dear Mason Community:
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Fernando R. Miralles-Wilhelm will be the new Dean of the College of Science. He will assume his role on July 1, 2020.
Dr. Miralles-Wilhelm comes to Mason from the University of Maryland, where he currently serves as Chair and Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, Director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, and Executive Director of the Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies. He is a highly regarded scholar and a seasoned university administrator with over 25 years of experience in teaching, research and leading large academic enterprises and industry-university consortia. Over Dr. Miralles-Wilhelm’s career, he has consulted with USAID, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank on topics dealing with water, the environment and sustainability. He has been a member of the faculty at Northeastern University, University of Miami, Florida International University and the University of Maryland. He has been a Principal Investigator in over 300M USD in projects funded competitively by US and international agencies. His work has been carried out in over 30 countries on five continents.
He received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), M.S. from the University of California-Irvine, and Ingeniero Mecánico from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Venezuela.
As Dean of COS, Dr. Miralles-Wilhelm will be charged with advancing the College’s strong national and international reputation by providing vision and intellectual leadership to build and strengthen academic programs; promoting excellence in research, scholarship and practice; leading the development and implementation of strategies to build strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, partners and collaborators; and securing a strong resource base to support faculty, programs, and initiatives. His extensive experience in academic leadership will be a tremendous asset to Mason.
I would also like to take this moment to thank Dr. Ali Andalibi for his excellent service as the college’s interim dean. He has provided leadership for the college at a time of tremendous challenge and transition. Further, I would like to express my gratitude to Dean Germaine Louis, chair of the search committee, and the members of the search committee for their efforts and time to assist in producing a highly diverse finalist pool, leading to the selection of a highly qualified leader for the College of Science.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Miralles-Wilhelm for his new role, and thanking Dr. Andalibi for his distinguished service.
Sincerely,
S. David Wu
Provost and Executive Vice President
